Ghost Mask
by jkkitty1
Summary: Post on LiveJournal Section 7 for PicFic Tuesday 10/16 At a Halloween party Napoleon has a surprising encounter.


It was Halloween eve and the two agents were at a party hosted by Section Two. Napoleon returned with drinks for both of them, when he stopped staring at the doorway.

"Did you see her?" Napoleon asked his partner, a look of shock on his face.

"Who?" Illya asked concerned that there was a problem from the appearance of his friend.

"That woman who was standing by the door a minute ago."

"Napoleon there are many women here, which one are you talking about?"

"The one with the black lacy mask, I think I know her."

"And that is new? Besides is there any woman here you do not know with at least a little more than passing knowledge." Illya turned away from his partner with a harrumph going back to his food.

"Seriously, I think she's someone from my past who shouldn't be here."

"Do we need to call an alert?" Now worried that there was an intruder.

"No I am sure that I was wrong?" Napoleon said with uncertainty.

"Well then go see who it is and let me be."

Napoleon hurried toward where he last saw the woman. He caught sight of her turning the corner; as he reached the end of the hall, she was just entering a room.

Opening the door gun in hand, he found her waiting for him.

"You can't be here," disbelief obvious in his voice.

"I've been worried about you. You seem uncertain of where you are going right now, sad, reckless."

"How can I believe what I am seeing? Your presence makes no sense."

"Why have you been unsettled, my love?"

"I'm not unsettled, reckless, or sad. Although at the moment, I'm doubting my own sanity."

"I am really here. You know it's alright to love her. I want to see you happy." The woman told him. "If you need my blessing you have it."

"I don't know what you're talking about, and how is it you can be here?" He said still unsure if what he was seeing was real or not.

He took a step back as she came towards him. Undecided if this was a trick of Thrush or just his imagination, his hand raised his gun.

She smiled.

"Why are you frightened of me? I thought you loved me at one time."

"How do I know that you aren't just in my mind, that I haven't gone over the edge?"

She thought a minute. "Do you remember prom night when you took me home and my father caught us necking in the car? You told him, we were celebrating that I agreed to marry you. He was so excited that he didn't notice how undone our clothes were. He even invited you in for a drink to celebrate, and you had to say no or explain why your pant zipper was undone."

Napoleon remembered that night, how embarrassed he had been knowing that if he had gotten out of the car, there would have been no doubt where they had intended to go. Only he and Laurie knew about it.

"Laurie? Is it really you? How can this be?" Lowering his gun, he felt saddened by her lost. She had been his first love, his wife.

"It's Holy Hallows Eve, my love. Anything is possible tonight."

"But why now, after all these years?" If this was truly her, he hadn't seen her since she had died in a car crash over 8 years ago.

"You seemed unable to decide if you could really share your love with your new lover. She's a wonderful person Napoleon. She understands you and accepts what you do. After all, she also lives the life."

"But I still love you," he said regrettably.

"And probably always will, but it's okay to love someone else. I think you two have something we never did. She is truly your life mate. Don't let her slip away."

"Why tonight? Why never before?"

"I never got to say good-bye and tell you that I loved you one last time. It's time for you to let me go and go on with your life."

She gently kissed him before fading away leaving him in a fog of doubt.

"Napoleon! Are you okay?" Illya's concerned voice broke through the fog. "Did you find the woman?"

Napoleon blinked, bringing himself back to reality. In his hand was the mask Laurie had worn.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"I need to call someone," he said. His soul was much lighter, and he felt free to follow his heart's desire. "Let's leave."

Illya knew that nothing more would be said tonight, and he would have to wait to find out what had happened at another time.


End file.
